The Holder of His Heart
by itssnowing
Summary: Regina has Charming's heart, and she plans to use it against Snow White.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters. Duh._

Chapter One

A Brief Happiness

Every morning when Charming woke up and saw Snow lying beside him, one of Granny's quilts wrapped around her naked body, he had to pause and realize this was his life now. Not a dream, nor a siren, but real. Flesh and blood and heartbeats and fingertips real. He and Snow were finally, _finally _together.

Some might have called him foolish for giving up the life of a prince, a future king—castles and silks and gold—for one woman. Even for a princess, since after all, this one didn't have her country anymore. A week ago he was sleeping on goose-feathered beds and fed suckling pig; now he was in a hole in the ground and foraging for berries.

But what those sad, poor people didn't realize was that every moment with her, he had such an unbounded joy that nothing else mattered. Not their makeshift home underground with nothing but some quilts and furs, not even the pursuit for both their hides that was surely still happening by King George and the Evil Queen. As long as they were together, Charming would be happy. He only needed Snow.

Charming kissed Snow's bare shoulder, and her eyelashes fluttered, then closed again. He didn't know how she could sleep more. For once, the world of the waking was better than his dreams.

The sun was up, and they'd planned to get moving as early as possible. They were together for now, and they wanted it to stay that way. They'd be starting their journey today, going across the sea to another realm where their enemies wouldn't chase them and they could marry and have a family.

"Come on," Charming said. He planted a kiss on Snow's lips. "It's time to get moving."

She opened her eyes and smiled, one of her beautiful, wide smiles that lit up her whole face. She put her hand on Charming's head, letting her fingers wrap in his hair, and brought his lips down to meet hers again.

"Snow," he murmured, body already thrumming.

"Charming." He loved to hear her say that, the name she'd given him. She began to kiss him more, and he followed.

"We should be heading out," he said. "We have to go get my mother, and then travel—"

But when she planted her lips on his again, he knew it was lost. Especially considering they hadn't gotten dressed from last night, it was all too easy to give in.

An hour later than planned, they finally began preparing for the journey ahead. Snow changed Charming's wrappings from his shoulder where the arrow had hit him while her heart had been darkened, and they both dressed. Their packs had been prepared the day before, so now they just ate some bread for breakfast, and then emerged from their hide-out.

Snow paused when they came above ground, and Charming stopped to wait for her. Snow tilted her head up to the trees, her eyes concentrating, but not on the surroundings, something deep inside of her.

Charming, while impatient to get going, was nevertheless patient with her, and retraced the steps he'd already taken away from the hide-out. He took her hand, and the contact made her face fall back down to him.

"This is where you first trapped me," she said. "When you came to get your mother's ring back from me."

She had that same ring on her finger now, and Charming stroked his finger against its surface. Funny how the person he fought so hard to get it from was the very one he would give anything to have wearing it.

"It's one of my favorite memories," he said.

"And if we leave, we'll never see this place again," Snow said, head bent down.

Charming put his free hand under her chin and lifted it up to him. "This isn't just about where you hung from a tree, is it?"

Snow sighed. "It's just…I always thought I would get it back. My kingdom. Regina isn't supposed to be queen. When I think of all of my people she's killed, the darkness she's brought, I can't stand it. And if I leave, if I don't take the throne, what will happen?"

"That's my Snow," Charming said. She'd never given up a fight, not when she had something worth fighting for at stake. It happened on that first ambush against him, and when she went back to the trolls to save him. It was part of why he loved her.

"So, we'll stay?" Snow asked. "Fight for my kingdom?"

Charming nodded. "If that's what you feel is right. I'll fight beside you to get your kingdom back."

Snow leapt into his arms, and they held each other close. Then Charming pulled back. "I still must go for my mother. I know Red and Granny will take care of her, but I promised that I'd come and get her as soon as we were ready to leave. She's waiting."

"We'll need a safe place to put her while we make a plan against Regina," Snow said.

Charming nodded. "What if I went to get her, and you found someplace to get her settled in? We can meet back here in two days."

"I know plenty of hiding places," Snow said, giving a mischievous grin.

Charming laughed and plopped a kiss on her nose. "I don't doubt it."

After a few more kisses and I love you's, Charming and Snow parted, this time separation still hurting, but nowhere near the pain they'd experienced before.

* * *

Ruth ran out to meet her son, and he swept her up in his arms. When he was younger, she used to spin around with him, but now that he was a grown man, he spun her. Ruth stepped back and put her hands to Charming's face.

"Look at you! Oh, I worried I'd never see you again!"

Before he might have laughed off such a comment as a mother's tendency to over-worry, but since falling in with King George, such statements were no exaggeration.

"But where is Snow White?" Ruth peered over her son's shoulder, the motherly concern coming back.

"We decided to stay here, to fight for Snow's kingdom. She's finding you a secure location to live in."

"Well, I was worried about getting seasick on a boat, but now there will be a war." Ruth shook her head.

"You must have heard about Regina's rule," Charming said. "She massacred an entire village—women and children included. We can't leave her people to that."

Ruth smiled. "Yes, dear, I know."

Then Red came running from down the road, her hood free from her head. "David! David, run!"

A horse ran up behind Red, then another and another. Red jumped to the side in time from being trampled by George's maniac soldiers.

"Mother, go," Charming said under his breath, pushing Ruth's elbow so that she would get off the road and hide in the trees beside it.

Charming drew his sword, ready to face the soldiers. His gaze flickered between his approaching enemy and making sure his mother had fully covered herself from sight in the thicket of trees. The soldiers wouldn't bother with her so long as she stayed out of the way and they got him.

The three men stopped on their horses, and behind them more men came.

"Prince James," said the soldier in the front. "Come now and we won't have to hurt you."

"Like hell I'm coming with you," Charming spat. No way as long as Snow lived could he bear it.

"We know you're an excellent swordsman Your Highness, but I doubt you have the skills necessary to fight ten men."

Charming kept his defensive stance.

"No? Very well, then."

They ran at him with the horses, but Charming ran off the road and into the forest opposite of his mother's hiding place. The trees were too thick for the horses to navigate easily, and one by one the soldiers had to jump off of their horses in order to pursue them.

Charming ran, hoping to throw them off of his trail, but the leader of the group was lithe and quick, so that he caught up to Charming, making the faux-prince turn around and fight him. By the time Charming had flicked his sword a few times and stabbed the leader, the others had caught up, and he was surrounded. He thrust and flung his sword, managing to incapacitate four of the soldiers, but then one struck a blow to his head, and he was down.

Two of the soldiers carried the unconscious Charming back through the forest, overcoming Red, who had come to try and help Charming with a branch, cursing the fact it was full sun out and she couldn't transform into a wolf.

"Let him go!" she shouted, swinging her branch toward the soldiers. But they just laughed and pushed her down.

Red got up and followed them out of the thicket, where they dumped Charming's unconscious body onto a waiting prison wagon.

Ruth came out of the forest, dazed at the sight of her son rolling away. She staggered a few steps. "No, no, no! David!"

But the soldiers were gone, and with it, her son. Red came to the grieving Ruth and held her up.

"We'll get him back," Red said. "We will. Snow White has many friends, and they will do anything to assure your son is freed from King George."

* * *

Regina smiled to herself as she descended down into her dungeons, where she'd brought the prince from King George's castle. The very castle she was told Snow White was planning to attack in order to get her true love back from. Ha! The fools.

And it was just so delicious, so completely satisfying, to have Snow White's true love here with her. She hardly knew what to do with him. Perhaps she would rip out his heart in front of her, crush it, and watch as Snow White knew the pain she'd felt all those years ago in the stable.

It would only be fitting for such a punishment. What was an apple compared with to that?

The prince sat on the cold floor, face flickering in the dim light of the torches. Two guards had been posted—she'd heard of his ability to escape and didn't dare take any risks. But now that she was here, she knew he couldn't get away from her.

"Leave us," she said to the guards.

They bowed and marched away. Regina opened the locks with a flick of her hand and came in. The prince stepped forward, but chains at his hands prevented him from getting far.

"You," he spat. "I ought to kill you."

"What? For saving you from King George's blade? You ought to be thanking me."

Regina circled around him, measuring up this prince Snow White had found for herself. He was solid and handsome, more so than most of the blundering oafs she'd found for her soldiers.

"So you're Snow White's prince," Regina said. She tried to sound mocking, but despite her disgust for the girl, the man she'd found didn't lack in any physical qualities. Regina reached out to the prince's chest. "Although I do see the appeal."

He jerked away from her, and Regina knew from her other experiences with men that it wasn't because men found her unattractive. He loved Snow White, and Snow White loved him. It ignited a fire within her, of jealousy and anger, that Snow White could be so in love and have that loved returned, and yet Regina had had that happiness ripped from her because of that very same brat.

Regina looked the prince up and down once more. No, she could find no flaw. Because she knew she'd never love again, and yet she still had urgings for someone inside of her, Regina picked her partners based on their physical appeal. And this Prince Charming? Why, his body with the knowledge that Snow White would be tortured by their intimacy, that would make the experience extra delightful.

"You will obey me," Regina said. She reached again for the prince's chest, this time thrusting her hand inside and getting a grip on his heart. He gasped and bent over while she yanked his heart out. It rested in her hand, pulsing and red.

Now she would finally get her revenge on Snow White.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Parlay

Snow walked numbly back to the dwarves, Red, Granny, and Ruth. The situation was worse than she could ever imagine. King George would have simply killed Charming, but Regina, what would Regina do? Snow's mind raced to torture, excruciating pain before the final release of death.

She had to get Charming back, no matter what.

"What happened?" Ruth asked. "Where's David?"

Snow shook her head. "Regina has him. I have to go to a parlay."

"No!" the group gave a collective gasp. Regina had been hunting Snow for so long, her vengeance so persistent, none of them imagined any mercy or fairness would wait for their princess.

Snow began removing her weapons. "I have to. She'll never let him go otherwise."

"You can't be going there with nothing," Grumpy said. "Come on, hide a dagger."

"I'm not taking any chances. Not while she has Charming." She removed the last knife from her boot.

"Let me go with you," Red stepped up, taking Snow's hands in hers.

"I have to go alone."

"I'll keep hidden, just until you need me."

"Regina has magic and spies. I won't let you risk your life, and Charming's life on top of that."

Snow turned around, and Charming's mother stood before her, fighting back tears. Her whole world relied upon Snow making the parlay work out, and yet she could do nothing. Snow embraced her, knowing the pain and sickening worry about Charming.

"I will do everything I can to get your son back," Snow said. "Everything."

Ruth hugged her closer. "I know, dear."

They pulled away, and Snow looked around her group of friends who had risked so much for her. She didn't deserve them, not for how much trouble she caused.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything."

Then she left to find her prince.

* * *

"She ripped his heart out!" Regina shouted. "Because of you! Because you couldn't listen to me!"

Finally, it all made sense. Why Regina had been so determined to ruin Snow's life. Among the regret and sorrow, however, Snow was simply tired. Tired of the chasing and the killings and the kidnappings. She wanted nothing more than for it to end, to leave it all behind them.

"You took my father. Haven't we both suffered enough?" Snow asked.

"No!" Regina said. She began rifling through her purse, and Snow knew whatever was in there would kill her.

"What's that?" Snow asked.

Regina removed it—an oblong, red, glowing shape that just fit in Regina's hand. "A heart. Your prince's heart."

Snow remembered Regina's story, how her mother had ripped out Daniel's heart and crushed it. Now Regina held Charming's heart, pulsing and vulnerable in her hands.

"No—please, Regina, _anything_." Tears formed in Snow's eyes. She couldn't be the cause of Charming's death. He'd done nothing wrong, he was blameless! She would rather die a thousand deaths than to see Charming die once.

"The benevolent stepmother I am," Regina said, lips curling, "I will give you a choice. Either you watch as I crush the prince's heart, or you eat this."

Regina removed something else from her purse: an apple.

"What will it do? Kill me?" Snow asked. She already knew she'd take the apple, but she wanted to know beforehand what would happen.

"Oh no, something far worse. You'll be asleep, tortured and trapped in nightmares of your regrets."

And Snow had plenty of those.

"And Charming? What will you do to him?" Snow asked.

"Keep him, of course. He's a strong, handsome young man who will be of use to me. Now, tell me honestly, how is he in bed?"

The agony of the parlay flashed into anger. "He wouldn't!"

"Well, I suppose not, if he had his heart. But he can't feel right now. Which means he doesn't love you. And if he disobeys me, then I will crush his heart and kill him. But, it'll be his choice."

Regina offered the apple to Snow. If she didn't take it, Charming would die, but she would walk free. If she did eat it, he might die anyway or else belong to Regina, and Snow would be stuck in nightmares.

But even if she didn't eat it, wouldn't she be living a nightmare every day anyway? At least now Charming had a chance of living, perhaps even escaping.

Snow took the apple. "Congratulations. You've won."

And then, she took a bite.

* * *

Charming sat in his cell, trying to get used to the sensation of not having a heart. He felt empty, like a house that had once had a large, laughing family, but had been abandoned, only a few broken dishes remaining inside. But Charming _knew _he loved Snow. Even if his heart didn't thrum when he thought of her, his love ran deeper than that. To his very core, every single fiber of him, knew he loved her. Snow and his mother, no matter what his heart had contained, they had spread through every part of him. He loved them still.

Which is why he knew something was wrong. Although his heart was away from his body, he felt it—as if Regina had squeezed down and was slowly killing him. But it wasn't him, it was Snow. He knew they were going to parlay, and he knew, just _knew _the Evil Queen had killed her.

He clutched the hole in his chest, groaning. "What did you do?! What did you do to her?!"

His guards looked down on him, startled, as he continued yelling, pounding the floor, and clutching his heart. It was the only way to release the pain he felt, the doom of a world without Snow in it.

"Oh, stop your yelling," Regina said as she walked down the dungeon steps.

Charming scrambled up and got as close as he could to the jail door in his chains. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, that? I gave her a poisoned apple. She's dead." The last word rolled off of Regina's tongue like a pet, lovingly caressed by its owner.

Charming fell to the ground—although he'd felt something horribly wrong before, the confirmation of it, of Snow's death, drained him of any ounce of good feelings from him. What was the purpose of his life without her?

"Yes, I gave her the choice. Your life or hers. Enjoy knowing that she died for you." Regina smirked, watching Charming's strength puddle into nothing. "Now this is the life you can look forward to: obeying me. Or else, all I have to do is squeeze," She plucked Charming's heart from her purse and clenched it between her hands. Pain shot from his chest, a burning fire. "And you die."

For a moment, Charming lay on the ground, wondering if he should let her. Why bother? Snow had died, gone from him forever. But then his mother's face flashed before him, and he remembered Snow had given her life for his. He couldn't abandon what Snow had given him, not so long as his mother grieved and worried and lived. He had to keep going, for both of them.

"Now," Regina said. "You should feel honored. I'm giving you an elite position in my castle."

"And what would that be?" Charming asked, a mix of anger and exhaustion.

"A bedmate." She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction. Charming's stomach retched. Lay with _her_? The witch who had killed his love? No, he couldn't, not that…

She gave his heart a little squeeze, and his chest cramped up. "Come along."

Regina flung the prison doors open and released Charming from his chains. He sat there on the floor, hands holding him up from collapsing completely.

"Please, not now, not after I found out," Charming said, his head bent over.

She took the heart and squeezed it. "What did I say? You _will _obey me, or you will die."

Charming writhed, hand over his chest, as if he could stop the pain from spreading if he only found it and stopped it. When the sensation subsided, he didn't know how he found the strength, but somehow he stood. He walked out. He waited as Regina put his heart locked away in a room lined with drawers, filled with what Charming could only assume were more hearts. He followed Regina to her bedchamber. The whole thing felt like someone else was controlling him, that his will and conscious had left his body, and now he was a puppet being forced to do as ordered.

In her bed, the only thing Charming continued to detach himself from what he was doing and who he was with, forget Snow was dead. But the Evil Queen wasn't satisfied. She said she'd kill him anyway if he didn't step things up. So Charming did the only thing he could do—he closed his eyes and thought of Snow. Imagined her alive, imagined he was with her. His fingers tangled in her hair, his lips were on her neck, and she sighed in that satisfied way of hers. And for a brief time, he could do it, he could make himself respond.

Then it was over, and he remembered she was dead.

* * *

It had been too long. They all agreed that parlay or no, they had to go after Snow. The moon came out, and so Red transformed into a wolf, covering the distance faster than the rest of them could. She followed Snow's scent to a hill, and when she lifted her head, Red knew something was wrong.

Red raced up the hill, and there she was: Snow, sprawled out, not moving. Red whined and nudged Snow with her nose, but she didn't stir. She put her cheek near Snow's face, but no breath tickled her fur.

She was dead. The Queen had killed her, broken the agreement of parlay, and Snow was gone. Red let out a howl of pain, of anger, but there was nothing to do except take Snow's body back to her friends.

Everyone there grieved, for the loss of Snow and Charming's continued imprisonment by the Queen. Granny and Ruth made Snow a beautiful dress, white and pure like her. The dwarves made a precious glass and gold coffin, enclosing her in it. The Blue Fairy enchanted the coffin so that Snow would never rot, but remain young and beautiful.

The group didn't know if they could trust for her to remain untouched with Regina's soldiers about, so each of the dwarves guarded her for one day a week. If anyone approached, they covered the coffin with bushes and kept their pick-axe handy if things went wrong.

Everyone agreed Snow White was as beautiful as she'd ever been, and it looked as if she just slept, peaceful and sweet. They didn't realize that she _was_ sleeping, screaming in her nightmares that she couldn't wake from, and yearning for her Charming.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Life and Death

_Snow was engulfed in fire all the time, her soul ripping and burning at the shame of what she'd done and didn't do. She couldn't save her mother. On her birthday, her mother had fallen ill, and Snow sought black magic, wasting time when she should have been finding a real cure. That death, that death which had only been the beginning of their troubles._

Charming had been dressed in one of the Queen's guard's uniforms: all black and leathery, with a ridiculous helmet he took off whenever he could. He was one of the Queen's guard now. He had to fight on behalf of the woman who had killed Snow.

_But not, _he thought, _if I can get in this chamber._

He stood in front of the doors of the Room of Hearts, staring at the obstacle ahead of him. But if he could get in, find his heart, and put it back in his chest, then he'd be able to escape without worrying about Regina killing him as he left to find his mother.

They were locked, as expected, but there was no keyhole to unlock it. The hinges weren't visible, either. Charming felt along the line down the middle, hoping for something, but he remained puzzled.

"Looking for something?" someone said from behind him.

Charming turned around, hand on his sword, and ready to defend himself. The Captain of the Guard had his head cocked to the side, nothing in his face or posture to indicate anger.

"I have patrol right now," Charming said.

"Right by the room where the Queen keeps the hearts of her victims?" The Captain asked.

"Well, it has to be guarded, right?" Charming knew that excuse wouldn't fool the Captain of the Guard, but he couldn't very well admit to trying to break in and recover his heart.

The Captain shook his head. "Already guarded by the Queen's magic. No one goes in or out without her letting them. Believe me, I tried."

"You? Why?"

"Yes. I angered the Queen, and she punished me, the same way as you."

"What did you do?" Charming asked.

The Captain gave him an apologetic look. "Snow White. I was supposed to kill her, but I let her go."

"You're the Huntsman?" Snow had told Charming about the Huntsman who had been sent after to kill her, but took pity when he read her letter to the Queen. He'd long wanted to thank this man, but now he had lost all of his words.

The Huntsman nodded. "And you're Prince James, the Queen's latest victim."

Everyone believed King George's ruse still, that he was the prince. Charming didn't care what they called him, in fact, he _preferred _being called James to David here. David was his shepherd name, for his loved ones, or in the least, those who knew him. Here in the cold castle of the Evil Queen, he didn't connect with himself. He was not David.

"I'm sorry," the Huntsman said, "about Snow White. She was beautiful, inside and out, and it should be her sitting on the throne."

Charming's throat closed in on him. He thought of Snow most of the time, as he had sentry duty and ate his meals and slept, but he hadn't talked about her. He didn't know if he ever could.

"So, Regina's magic is keeping us from our hearts then?" Charming asked, stroking the door. "Perhaps we could get someone else with magic to come and help us. The fairies, maybe?"

"Regina's put a protective spell around the castle against the fairies," the Huntsman said.

"Well, what about Rumpelstilskin? He has no sides, and if we offered him something great enough, he'd get us in."

"Haven't you heard? Rumpelstilskin's gone. It seems that the potion he gave Snow White was the last magic he did, at least in this land. He found an enchanted tree and it transported him to a different world." The Huntsman seemed to be enduring this brainstorming with Charming rather than embracing it.

"You don't believe we can get in?" Charming asked.

"No. Not at all."

Charming still looked at the door, convinced he could find a way inside, if only he tried harder. He couldn't give up on this. He had to get back to his mother, he had to protect Snow's people as they had planned. Bring down the Evil Queen. But he couldn't do this until he had his heart back.

"Come on, James, let's get back on duty," the Huntsman said.

Charming reluctantly left the doors of the Room of Hearts and followed the Huntsman away from it. But he wouldn't give up on things, not so soon. There had to be a way.

"There are rumors," Charming said, "that the Queen is planning on invading King George's lands."

"Well, it would make sense. His people are starving, burdened by heavy taxes and poor weather for their crops. They're already calling for him to be overthrown," the Huntsman said. "I'm sorry. I know that you and your father had extreme differences, but I imagine you're still unhappy with the prospect of the Queen taking your land over."

Although Charming had only been the prince for a few short months, he had to admit that it didn't sit well with him the idea of Regina taking over the country. Besides, it was still his homeland—where he was raised and nurtured. He loved the land and the people, and right now it was stuck between a rock and a hard place with George and Regina as their only options for ruler.

"It's not what I'd want, no," Charming said.

The Huntsman paused and looked Charming over. "For someone who's lost his heart, you still feel an awful lot."

"You don't?" Charming asked.

"Everything is numb to me. I can still feel the slightest bit of compassion for an animal, but nothing else. Even what would stir me to anger before has no power over me," the Huntsman said. "I don't know if I'd rather have them, though, with what I go through here. I think I'd lose my mind."

"I try to ignore the more traumatizing parts of this, but I can't give up my feelings completely. Not of who and what I love," Charming said. "How else can I do what's right?"

* * *

The dwarves continued to guard Snow White, one by one, day by day. Three months had had passed since the parley and yet the dwarves continued their work: six days in the mines, one with Snow.

It was, naturally, Doc who noticed it first. Snow White had changed. Her stomach, which had once been relatively flat, began to bulge. But a preserved corpse couldn't gain weight. She wasn't even alive.

Doc, ever curious about bodies, removed Snow's coffin lid for the first time and examined her. The first curiosity was that she wasn't cold. She didn't radiate heat, but even for a preserved corpse, she was too warm.

The dwarf doctor felt Snow's abdomen, wondering if an infection had perhaps grown in her body, but if such had happened, nothing leaked out to confirm it. Doc glanced around to make sure they were truly alone, then lifted up her dress in order to look at the stomach and feel it without the fabric padding it. Her stomach had become rounded, not like someone who gained weight but rather…

No. She was _dead. _

But for the first time in three months, hope fluttered in the dwarf. He just needed someone who was an expert in magic, because there were too many questions for him to answer with only his knowledge.

Doc fixed Snow back up again, put the coffin lid on, and covered her with the bushes to disguise her. He hurried back to the mines, and was greeted by the anger of the dwarves.

"Doc! What are you doing here?" Grumpy asked when he saw his brother. The other dwarves stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be with Snow White!" Sneezy said.

"I know, but something happened. Look, I'll explain, but we need the Blue Fairy."

"What is it?" Sleepy asked. "Is something wrong with Snow White?"

Doc smiled. "Maybe not. Something _wonderful _might be happening, but we'll have to consult with the Blue Fairy first."

Grumpy found the Blue Fairy, and together, the seven dwarves and the fairy crowded around Snow's coffin.

"Look, do you notice anything different about her?" Doc asked.

The group looked the princess up and down, until finally Dopey said, "She's fatter."

"Yes, exactly!" Doc said. "And here, feel her skin."

They all put a hand on her arm or neck.

"She's warm," Grumpy said. "Too warm for a dead person."

The Blue Fairy said, "Very well, but Doc, what is this about?"

"I think Snow White is alive…and pregnant."

Everyone began shouting out a questions at once, everyone (even Happy) too cautious to be optimistic yet. They'd failed to find breath or pulse on her before, and with three months without food or water, how could she possibly be alive?

Doc waved his hands to cut off their voices. "Listen, I only know the medical parts behind it. I have no idea about the magic. But three months ago she was with Charming, and now her stomach appears as a woman's at that stage of pregnancy sometimes does. And she felt cold before, when we buried her, but perhaps whatever magic had caused that, well, the pregnancy caught up. Pregnant women tend to produce more body heat than those who are not."

"It could be a sleeping curse," the Blue Fairy said. "It gives the appearance of death, but the cursed simply sleep instead, inside of nightmares."

"But that doesn't make sense," said Grumpy. "What about food? Drink?"

"The body maintains whatever is needed to survive. It's part of the magic. No point in revenge if the partaker will die after a few days, right?" the Blue Fairy explained. "The curse must be sustaining the child as well."

"What about the child then?" Grumpy asked. "Will it be cursed as well?"

The Blue Fairy shook her head. "There is no way of knowing. I've never come across something like this."

"But Snow White is alive, and with child?" Happy asked.

Doc nodded.

"How does the curse break?" Grumpy asked. "We have to wake her up."

"True love's kiss," the Blue Fairy said. "Her Prince Charming will have to come and kiss her."

"Well," Grumpy said. "Looks like we have another castle to break into."

* * *

Regina did decide to invade King George's land to take it for herself. Now that Snow White was gone, she needed a new goal to strive for, to keep her mind off of her pain. Because making Snow White eat that apple didn't end the grief, the stabbing that she endured every day, every time she thought of Daniel. And she had to get rid of that pain somehow.

Prince James was more than the usual body for Regina. Every time he came to bed with her, it was as if she were killing Snow White all over again, and adding to her pain. It gave her joy little else did. He and the Huntsman were her only regulars.

"You know King George's lands well, don't you?" Regina asked as she slid from the bed to put her clothes back on. The prince—_James _she must simply call him now, for soon his father and thus his title would be obsolete—pulled on his shirt he wore underneath his uniform.

"I was raised there," he said, flatly.

"Well, then. I'm sending you over to work under Commander Andrew, to help him with the layout of the land."

Not even the slightest sign of hope came into his eyes, which pleased Regina. He knew how strong her hold was on him, and that he could not deny her. It gave her power.

Still, she had to warn him. "If you dare think of running off, or of ruining my chances at victory, you will regret it. I keep in constant contact with my commanders, and any sign of disobedience or treachery, and I—"

"Will crush my heart until I die. I know."

Regina smiled. She hoped he wouldn't die in the war, it was so delicious to see him drained of all hope and happiness. But even if he did get killed, she always had her Huntsman and the other members of her guard.


End file.
